The Houston Texans have put tight end Jordan Thomas (rib) on the Injured Reserve. Thomas could come off the IR after Week 8, but he'll be out at least until then, if not the entire year. Thomas was projected to be Houston's starting tight end and a fantasy sleeper earlier in the year, but he missed most of training camp and fell behind Darren Fells and Jordan Akins in the rotation. Houston doesn't target their tight ends that much anyway, so Thomas going on the IR shouldn't have too much of an impact on Fells and Akins.

Houston Texans tight end Jordan Thomas played late into the team's preseason finale against the Rams on Thursday. He caught two passes for 19 yards. There's been a big shift in the Texans depth chart this preseason, as Darren Fells has gone from the roster bubble to the clear starting role at tight end. Thomas, who missed a lot of time with a hamstring injury, is still the high-upside guy on the team, but the team clearly wanted to play him a lot on Thursday as a way of, as Thomas said after that game, "knocking the rust off." Did it work? We'll see, but it's hard to view Thomas as a breakout candidate at this point.

Houston Texans tight end Jordan Thomas is expected to see extended snaps in Thursday's preseason finale against the Los Angeles Rams. NFL teams usually don't play their starters in the final game, so this appears to be confirmation that Thomas has fallen behind Darren Fells -- and possibly behind Jordan Akins -- on the depth chart. Thomas is a promising, athletic player, but there's just too much risk to roster him in re-draft leagues at this point.

Houston Texans tight end Jordan Thomas was targeted six times in Houston's preseason loss to the Dallas Cowboys, grabbing two of those targets for a team-high 33 yards. It was a rough night for the Texans, who failed to reach 100 passing yards, but Thomas was the tiniest sliver of a bright spot. He still has a chance to beat out Jordan Akins for the starting tight end job, though the word "starting" isn't likely to mean much as Akins, Thomas, and veteran Darren Fells will all rotate in and out, with rookie Kahale Warring expected to play a small role if healthy. Thomas has potential in fantasy leagues, but if Houston plays all of their tight ends, it'll be hard to see a path for Thomas to consistent fantasy relevance.

Houston Texans tight end Jordan Thomas has missed most of training camp and the preseason, but he was active in Saturday's preseason win over the Detroit Lions. Thomas caught two of his five targets for 17 yards and also had a touchdown called back by penalty. Thomas was originally expected to be Houston's top tight end, but he was third on the depth chart on Saturday. How fast he manages to work his way back consistently into the rotation will determine how much -- if any -- fantasy value Thomas will have. For now, he's somewhere in the high TE3 range but with upside to finish as a TE2.

Houston Texans tight end Jordan Thomas (hamstring) has returned to practice after sitting out the past week. Thomas is in line to be the lead tight end for the Texans this year after catching 20 passes for 215 yards and four touchdowns last year. While Thomas has been listed in places as a sleeper at tight end, Houston's plan to rotate him with rookie Kahale Warring, second-year tight end Jordan Akins, and possibly veteran Darren Fells puts a limit on how much Thomas will be able to do in this offense. He's better as a best-ball option than as a re-draft option.

Houston Texans tight end Jordan Thomas recently suggested that Houston will use a committee approach at tight end with Thomas, Jordan Akins, and rookie Kahale Warring, but Thomas is expected to be the leader of that committee and the player most likely to be a weapon in Houston's passing game. Thomas caught four touchdowns last season, but he saw his snap percentage fade as the season went along. Even if Thomas gets the most snaps, quarterback Deshaun Watson doesn't target tight ends at a rate that would make Thomas a sustainable fantasy starter.

Houston Texans tight end Jordan Thomas is working as the team's No. 1 tight end in organized team activities. Ryan Griffin is out of the picture, so Houston needs one of Thomas, Jordan Akins or rookie Kahale Warring to step up in 2019. It looks like Thomas, who had 20 receptions for 215 yards and four touchdowns in his rookie season, will get the first shot to prove himself. The 22-year-old might struggle for consistency if he's sharing repetitions with the others, but he also has a chance to be a fantasy sleeper at the position in a rising offense.